It took just two attempts for the pupil to beat his mentor and eight attempts for the Jets to finally beat their archrival, the New England Patriots, and get themselves back into the AFC East race.
Both teams exchanged punts in the first quarter but late in the period the Pats finally managed to march deep into the Jets’ territory and scored a field goal on the first play of the second quarter. QB Chad Pennington threw an interception on the ensuing Jets’ possession, but luckily the defense quickly got the ball back when they forced a fumble two plays later. The Jets took the lead on their next possession, as they drove 77 yards and RB Kevan Barlow scored on a 2-yard TD run. The Patriots tried to respond but the Jets’ defense stopped them inside their own 5-yard run, making New England to settle for another 3 points, 7-6.
The teams once again exchanged punts as the third quarter started but then the Jets extended their lead when PK Mike Nugent converted a 34-yard field goal attempt, 10-6.
As the final quarter began, the Jets’ defense came up big again, sacking Tom Brady twice inside the Jets’ territory and putting the Pats out of field goal range. Then, S Erik Coleman intercepted Brady and returned the ball to New England’s 35-yard line. That interception set up New York’s second touchdown of the game, as four plays later Pennington connected with WR Jerricho Cotchery, making the score 17-6 with 4:45 left in the quarter. It seemed like the game was pretty much over, but the defending AFC East Champs quickly responded with a touchdown of their own and converted a 2-point attempt, 17-14. The Jets managed to gain three first downs and finally punted with only 1:15 left on the game clock. The Patriots, who had no timeouts left, desperately tried to get in field goal range but their attempt was cut short when DE Shaun Ellis sacked Brady on the last play of the game.
QB Chad Pennington completed 22 of his 33 passes for 168 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. RB Kevan Barlow had his best game as a Jet, as he gained 75 yards on 17 carries, 1 TD. WR Jerricho Cotchery led all receivers with 6 grabs for 70 yards, 1 TD.
FS Kerry Rhodes made the team-high 9 tackles (6 solo) and recovered a fumble. SS Erik Coleman made 8 tackles (6 solo) and intercepted a pass. The defense also finally managed to put pressure on the opposing quarterback – 4 sacks.
Next Sunday the Jets will take on the Chicago Bears (8-1) in the Meadowlands. The kickoff time is at 1PM EST.